You can pause, stop and choose another story using the buttons. I hope to make other uncollected material available in the future.

Using the radio on the right hand side, you can listen to a series of short stories Frances Fyfield wrote, A Dark and Stormy Night recorded by Sweet Talk and first broadcast on BBC Radio in 2006. Click on any title to begin playing, and to read a synopsis of each piece please scroll down the page.

Track number six is an interview with Jenny Murray on Woman's Hour on July 05 2006, for the publication of The Art of Drowning

A Dark And Stormy Night - Summary

01 The Victim's Tale

Read by Cheryl Campbell.

Rachel Adams is in bed on a dark and stormy night in her tall, thin house on the coast, when she becomes aware that someone is moving about downstairs. She knows who her stalker is and, as she tells her story, she fills in the details of their lives.

02 The Copper's Tale

Read by Philip Glenister.

We think we know what happened in Rachel Adams' house last night, and how Donald ended up with a broken leg at the foot of the stairs. But what the copper sees as he goes off shift tells a different story. A darker story - and one that casts a different light on Mrs Rachel Adams. But appearances can be deceptive.

03 The Daughter's Tale

Read by Nicola Walker.

Who knows a mother better than her daughter? But Rachel's daughter sees her mother through a particularly singular eye, and even she is willing to interpret the situation to suit herself.

04 The Barrister's Tale

Read by Julia Ford.

As the barrister leafs through statements from victim, defendant and copper, she forms a fourth, alternative view of the events of the dark and stormy night. But at the end of a day when she's lost a case and seen a villain released to walk the streets, she's lost all inclination to be charitable.

05 The Defendant's Tale

Read by Neil Stuke.

With his leg in plaster. Donald sits with his solicitor and tells his own story of the dark and stormy night. By now, the events are familiar but the story gets a new spin. Do we finally get to hear the truth?